Merrillville: Safety switch

Updated: August 18, 2011 4:04PM

Kourtney Berry was “always messing around” last season with Merrillville’s defensive backs coach, joking about shifting from linebacker to safety.

Little did Berry know that such a move actually would be on tap for him as a senior this season.

The process began last school year, when the Pirates linebackers coach had a chat with Berry.

“Honestly, I was surprised,” Berry said. “I was, like, safety? And he was, like, yeah. I didn’t really think it was going to happen. But I wasn’t hesitant at all. Whatever’s best for the team.”

At various team and individual camps over the summer, during seven-on-seven drills, Berry took part as a safety. By the time he completed a camp at Toledo, he was ready to go at his new position.

“I got more comfortable with it, just the coverages and the little things,” Berry said. “My game just got better. I feel really good about it right now.”

Berry excelled as Merrillville’s strong-side linebacker last season, generally considered the team’s best defensive player. He led the Pirates with 99 tackles, adding two interceptions and two forced fumbles, and made the Junior All-State Team.

“We graduated a kid at safety, and we just decided to slide him in there,” Merrillville coach Zac Wells said. “We talked about it as a staff on several occasions, and we thought he was athletic enough to do it. We experimented with it in the summer, and he did a nice job from the get-go. The great thing about Kourtney, he can rep in the summer at safety and then slide back to linebacker if we need him to. We know he’s going to be on defense somewhere.”

And on offense at H-back, for that matter, one of Merrillville’s few two-way players (he and Denzel Pierce were the only ones last season).

“I just do my job, whether it calls for me to block for the tailback, take out the linebacker, catch the ball, carry the ball,” Berry said. “It’s a real cool role.

“I’ll produce on either side of the ball. Tell me my job and I’ll do it to the best of my ability.”

Said Wells: “He can run the ball, block, catch the ball — he has great hands. We have confidence he can do whatever we need him to do. He’s just that athletic.”

Indeed, Berry also is one of the state’s top wrestlers. He placed fifth at 189 pounds last season, going 46-1, with his only loss coming to the eventual champion, 1-0 in the quarterfinals. Berry also has Division I potential in that sport.

“I’m looking forward to actually playing football after high school,” said Berry, who also played basketball and ran track before high school. “Those wrestling habits are never going to go away, though.”

Said Wells: “He plays both sides of the ball for us, he’s a two-sport athlete and he’s just a solid, solid kid. He’s a great representative for Merrillville.”

Coach

Zac Wells

Record

At school: 48-16 (sixth year)

Overall: 48-16 (sixth year)

Last season

Lost 20-14 to Valparaiso in
sectional semifinal

Key returnees

S/LB/HB Kourtney Berry

OT/DE Paul Carey

WR/CB Will Isabell

DT Kevin Wilkerson

K Matt Warren

Key losses

RB/DB Denzel Pierce (St. Francis)

QB Zach Raspopovich (St. Xavier)

DT Matt Neal (Toledo)

DE LaChappelle Bradley (Marian)

C Rob Robinson (Joliet J.C.)

DE Carlos Dickerson (St. Francis)

WR Anton Redmon (St. Francis)

DB Jory Cunningham (Harper)

Season outlook

Merrillville should again be among the area’s elite teams, despite graduating several top players. The Pirates, who saw their run of three straight sectional titles come to an end, suffered their only losses to Warren Central and Valparaiso (twice). Kourtney Berry headlines what should be a stout defense, despite losing a Division I tackle in Matt Neal and both of its ends (LaChappelle Bradley, Carlos Dickerson). The Pirates do return four-fifths of their offensive line, including tackle Paul Carey. That front should help ease the burden on the incoming skill position players. Senior Darryl Peppers should break out in his first season as the starting tailback, having waited his turn behind Denzel Pierce. And junior Jake Raspopovich (a starting wide receiver last season seeking to become the third Raspopovich brother to start at QB), senior Tyler Kepchar and sophomore Tyree Fuller were competing in the preseason to take the reins.

Postseason

Class 5A Sectional 1 (Chesterton, Crown Point, Lake Central, Merrillville, Michigan City, Munster, Portage, Valparaiso)

Schedule

Aug. 20 Warren Central

Aug. 26 at Andrean

Sept. 2 at Crown Point

Sept. 9 Portage

Sept. 16 at Michigan City

Sept. 23 LaPorte

Sept. 30 at Valparaiso

Oct. 7 at Lake Central

Oct. 14 Chesterton

HISTORY LESSON

Season Record

2001 8-3, 5-2

2002 4-6, 3-4

2003 7-5, 3-4

2004 11-2, 6-1

2005 11-3 5-2

2006 7-5, 3-4

2007 12-2, 6-1

2008 9-4, 4-3

2009 12-2. 7-0

2010 8-3, 6-1

Sectional titles: 1976, 1985, 1992, 2004-05, 2007-09

Regional titles: 1976, 1992, 2005, 2007, 2009

State titles: 1976

Roster

No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos.

1 Anton West 5-8 134 11 WR/DB

2 Darrin Funches 5-8 140 10 WR/DB

3 Tyler Kepchar 6-0 156 12 QB

4 Dylon Collins 5-10 188 11 RB/DB

5 Greg Brousseau 5-8 146 12 WR/DB

6 Brian Jenkins 5-8 158 11 WR/DB

8 Cleveland Lomax 6-0 172 11 WR/DB

9 Jake Raspopovich 6-0 150 11 QB

10 Salvador Higareda 6-0 176 10 WR/LB

11 Tyrie Fuller 6-0 174 10 QB

12 Nick Hayes 5-6 114 10 WR/DB

13 Joey Cowser 6-2 162 11 WR/DB

14 Tony Carter 5-8 134 11 WR/DB

15 William Isabell 6-0 156 12 WR/DB

16 Brian Kelly 5-10 138 10 WR/DB

17 Dominic Alderson 5-10 154 12 WR/DB

18 Monte Hamlet 5-6 148 10 WR/DB

19 Eric Davis 5-6 152 11 WR/DB

20 Adrian Robinson 6-0 162 12 WR/DB

21 Sir James Joiner 5-10 178 12 WR/DB

22 Ryan Neal 6-2 146 10 WR/DB

23 Kourtney Berry 6-0 202 12 WR/DB

24 T.J. Deidigha 6-2 172 11 WR/LB

25 Dante Pickett 5-6 158 12 WR/DB

26 Shakir Anderson 5-6 146 12 WR/DB

27 Denzel Young 5-8 146 10 WR/DB

29 Joel Martin 5-10 158 10 WR/DB

30 Bryant Isabell 5-10 186 10 RB/DB

31 Michael Martin 5-6 118 10 WR/LB

32 Carlos Jenkins 5-10 176 11 WR/LB

33 Michael Jones 5-10 184 12 WR/LB

34 Jaylen Harris 5-10 170 11 WR/LB

35 John Burns 6-2 170 11 WR/LB

36 Bruce Thomas 5-8 162 11 WR/DB

37 Eugene Dykes 5-10 194 11 WR/DB

38 Caleb Pirtle 6-0 194 12 WR/LB

39 Matt Warren 6-2 172 11 K/P

40 Tre’Von Harris 5-10 172 10 WR/LB

41 Michael Dicken 6-2 202 12 WR/LB

42 Ronnie Giles 5-6 164 10 RB/DB

43 Richard Neely 5-10 134 10 WR/DB

44 Darryl Peppers 5-6 174 12 RB/LB

45 Cortez Sims 6-0 166 12 WR/LB

46 Eric Gatewood 5-10 174 11 WR/LB

47 Eric DeLuna 6-0 188 11 WR/LB

48 Rodney Mitchell 6-2 190 12 WR/LB

49 Brandon Oliver 6-0 188 10 WR/LB

50 Kevin Wilkerson 6-0 212 11 OL/DL

51 Trevor Leonhardt 6-0 242 11 OL/DL

52 Tristan Coghill 6-0 264 10 OL/DL

53 Jordan Turley 5-8 220 11 OL/DL

54 Niles Bell 5-10 190 10 OL/LB

54 Jeff Colby 6-2 290 10 OL/DL

55 Jordan Johnson 6-0 242 11 OL/DL

56 Quentin Lacey-Blackwell 6-0 196 11 OL/DL

57 Brandon Spencer 6-2 226 12 OL/DL

58 Michael Nickson 5-10 226 12 OL/DL

59 Brian Walker 6-0 270 12 OL/DL

60 Anthony Disco 6-0 252 12 OL/DL

61 Malcolm Donley 6-2 248 10 OL/DL

62 Ian Stacks 6-0 224 12 OL/DL

63 Aaron Sanders 5-10 216 11 OL/DL

64 Paul Carey 6-2 206 12 OL/DL

64 Errol White 5-4 206 11 OL/DL

65 Joseph Smith 5-6 238 10 OL/DL

66 Shane Brousseau 5-6 248 10 OL/DL

67 Thomas Scolaro 6-2 244 10 OL/DL

68 Travone Norman 5-10 200 10 OL/DL

69 Matt Sobczak 6-6 294 11 OL/DL

70 Delaun Kirk 5-10 200 11 OL/DL

71 Brandon Baldwin 6-0 272 11 OL/DL

72 Malcolm Lindsay 5-10 284 12 OL/DL

73 Shareef Cauley 5-6 216 10 OL/DL

74 Marquise Manning 5-10 206 11 OL/DL

75 Roman Salas 6-2 206 11 OL/DL

76 Christian Pearson 6-0 204 11 OL/DL

78 Adam Sherwinski 6-2 230 11 OL/DL

79 Frank Webster 6-2 338 10 OL/DL

80 Aaron Dye 5-10 152 11 WR/DB

81 Jared Earwin 5-10 164 11 WR/DB

82 Craig Burns 5-6 142 10 WR/DB

83 Mike Carpenter 6-0 134 12 WR/DB

84 Logan Hubbard 5-10 148 12 WR/DB

85 Robert Nielsen 5-8 162 11 WR/DB

86 Billy Grant 6-2 178 10 WR/LB

87 Julian Neal 6-2 190 11 WR/DB

88 Tyler Scheive 6-0 144 11 WR/DB

89 Darnell Robinson 5-6 172 10 WR/LB

91 Louis Williams 6-2 228 12 OL/DL

92 Daniel Jankuloski 6-0 200 11 WR/DL

93 Raqib Cox 6-2 196 10 OL/DL

94 Trevon Williams 6-2 236 11 OL/DL

95 Jon Feliciano 6-2 202 11 OL/DL

96 Jose Martinez 6-2 190 11 WR/DL

98 Bruce Brown 5-10 144 12 WR/DB

99 Jordan Polk 5-10 146 12 WR/DB

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